Gambling: Optimised for Frictionless Financial Mayhem?

Gambling: Optimised for Frictionless Financial Mayhem?

Author: Gareth King November 2, 2025 Duration: 51:22
Ruined By The Internet? | Uncovering the human cost of our digital world
TechnologyScienceSociety & Culture

The internet promised to modernise an age-old activity, bringing new convenience to a quick thrill. But has it instead delivered a predatory, 24/7 addiction machine - one that exploits our psychology with algorithms and has created what many now consider a serious public health crisis?

We're joined by Mark Kempster - gambling reform advocate and member of Australia's Alliance For Gambling Reform's Voices of Lived Experience program - who has seen the human cost of online gambling firsthand, and is fighting to make sure others don't pay the same price.

Welcome to Ruined By The Internet? - the show where we examine how technology is shaping modern life - whether we want it to or not.

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Visit us: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/

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In this episode we investigate the addictive design built into digital platforms, examine how data and algorithms are used to target vulnerable people at their most exposed moments, explore the normalisation of online activity among young people, and ask whether regulation can ever keep pace with an industry that has turned a public health crisis into a business model.

00:00 - The rise of online gambling and its real world impact

06:55 - The addictive design deliberately built into digital platforms

11:48 - Regulatory challenges and the industry's influence over reform

15:59 - How data and algorithms are used to target vulnerable people

23:38 - The future of reform in Australia: what needs to change

25:33 - The pervasiveness of the problem among young people

27:57 - The specific dangers of in-play betting and real time exploitation

30:46 - How online culture has normalised what was once considered a serious risk

34:49 - The role of technology in accelerating addiction

39:03 - The urgent need for regulation and corporate accountability

43:33 - Advocacy for change and what hope for the future looks like

Guest links - Mark Kempster

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mark_kempster

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-kempster-2925317b/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/OffOdds

Alliance For Gambling Reform: https://www.agr.org.au/


It’s a question that nags at anyone who’s ever felt a pang of nostalgia or a wave of digital fatigue: are we better or worse off because of our constant connection? Hosted by Gareth King, Ruined By The Internet? digs into that uneasy feeling, moving beyond simple headlines to explore how our online world actively moulds society, culture, and the texture of daily life. This isn’t about reviewing apps or gadgets; it’s about treating the digital realm as the pervasive environment it has become. Each episode features thoughtful conversations with leading thinkers and researchers from around the world, dissecting the real evidence behind our shared anxieties and hopes. You’ll hear nuanced discussions that ask whether the casualties we often blame on technology are inevitable, or if we’re simply misdiagnosing deeper societal shifts. This podcast provides a space for considered reflection, offering listeners a clearer lens through which to view their own place in a world that is, for better or worse, thoroughly wired.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 30

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Ruined By The Internet? | Uncovering the human cost of our digital world
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